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Jerry Okungu's Articles

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Why are we doing these terrible things to Kenya?
For those of us whose only country in Kenya, our hearts bleed. We bleed because we cannot believe, let alone comprehend what is happening to us. It would appear like we have just had a bad dream; a nightmare we would rather believe was never real. Yet, as the day goes by, as sunrise and sunset come and go, we are confronted by the reality of the nightmare that never goes away.
Of Raila Odinga, Mercenaries and the Kenya Government
There are two ways of looking at this intricate situation. Either Raila is a chronic liar that this government can no longer take seriously or, the CID Director is a pathetic and incompetent public servant that has no business being trusted with the security of this country.
Kenya Government Caught With Pants Down!
What does it feel like to be the President of Kenya during the Kibaki regime? How painful it must be to wake up every morning only to be met by screaming unfriendly newspaper headlines, hostile talk-show programmes on every FM station, not to mention equalling devastating television headlines the night before about this scandal, that scam and this sleaze allegedly committed by your various cadre of generals and your extended family members! It must be a painful period for Kenya's third pr
Has the Media in Kenya lost direction and sense of responsibility?
The media may not think so much about this headline but Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, the Minister for Information and Communication, and many more Kenyans like him think so. Those many Kenyans can count me among them. I am one of those people in this country who, for the past two weeks have been wondering aloud whether these accusations leveled against the media may as well have some grain of truth in them.
A two pronged revolution in the offing - Regime change will be led by women youth
Forget about the violent 1982 uprising that went nowhere except to cause mayhem for a few hours. Forget about the Rainbow People Power that threw KANU out of power but failed to manage power. Forget about Kiraitu Murungi's promise to shake every corner of this republic with his Banana movement that never was. Forget about the Orange revolution that took home the Referendum prize in late 2005 but failed to figure out what to do with it after victory. What is in the offing will be like no other...
Changing faces and fortunes in the Kibaki Administration
There is a new political party in Kenya called Narc-Kenya. This is a very interesting development on the political scene considering that the party's first name is really not a name but an acronym of sorts. In essence, if one were to care to spell out Narc Kenya's full name, it would sound something like this; National Rainbow Coalition of Kenya.
Issues the forthcoming EAC summit should deal with expeditiously
Another East African Community Summit is here with us. Once more all roads will be leading to the Arusha International Conference Centre in Tanzania with pomp and glory. As expected, large motorcades preceded by technical committees and the Council of Ministers, will spell out the direction the Community will take in the next few years.
Why I must share in Moody Awori's sins and disgrace!
I have a special stake in Uncle Moody Awori's present political quagmire. I do so because I am partly responsible for his being where he is to day by default. I never knew it would come to this when it all started innocently one afternoon in October 2002.
President Kibaki of Kenya must not let East Africa down
Judging by the mood and excitement at the new Federation Anthem, it is possible that East Africans are finally coming to terms with the real possibility of one East African nation. The lyrics of the national anthem told it all.
Endless National Tragedies in Kenya
The fourteen prominent Kenyans who died last week were not the first and neither will they be the last to perish in senseless accidents that need not occur in this day and age.
A tribute to our fallen soldiers of peace.
This piece is dedicated to my friend of thirty years, Dr. Bonaya Godana and his comrades who perished with him in an air crash in Marsabit. The Godana I knew was an intellectual of no mean repute yet he was never mesmerised by his achievements or academic credentials. He remained just Godana, our Godana.
Kibaki, Kikwete and Museveni spelt it out for the rest of Africa
They may not be the best that the African continent has today in terms of leadership, but they are certainly the most acceptable in terms of nurturing regional cooperation. This is the single most plausible reason we will have to listen to them no matter how much we disagree with them on a lot of domestic issues back in our home countries.
Believe it or not, Martha Karua may just be the right minister to fight corruption
Like her or hate her, Minister Martha Karua is probably one of the most decisive and action oriented members of the Kibaki government today. Sometimes I am tempted to believe that she is the only independent-minded person left in the Kibaki cabinet after the December 2005 reshuffles.
How secure are we Kenyans within our borders and from external enemies?
I saw that poor widow in Busia talking at her husband's funeral. She was daring enough to point an accusing finger at Vice President Moody Awori along with other government officials seated at a VIP tent. Her anger was not misplaced and neither was she alone. Fourteen other families were going through the same motions, wondering aloud why their loved ones and bread winners had to die such senseless deaths.
Despite past blunders, Kenyan Members of Parliament have still failed to read the mood of the nation!
What exactly does this nation need to do to get the message across to its law makers? Are these men and women capable of hearing and seeing the obvious? What language can we speak so that they can understand that we are no longer just disgusted but also embarrassed by their behaviour?
Of national prayers and Kenyans' self inflicted sufferings
Yes, the week before it was one of wailing, mourning and burials; and costly burials at that. The amount of public funds used on burying the fourteen gallant Kenyans who perished in a plane crash in Marsabit a few days earlier demonstrated that this country has endless resources to alleviate poverty and lawlessness if only there was the will to do so from our governors.
The AU has a duty to protect her citizens from racist murders & lynchings in communist Russia
The killing of African students in Russia brought back my memories of yester years when a young British tourist called Julie Ward died in one of the game parks in Kenya. The trauma and intimidation the Kenya government went through at the hands of the British government was impossible to imagine. We were called all sorts of names and accused of all manner of evil. Kenyan political leadership was put on the spot for nearly a decade. Yet, when an African dies, brutally murdered in Russia, Britain
Kenya urgently needs a tough sexual offences law
Let our MPs accept one fact; we cannot kill this Bill because of our past cultural practices which we ourselves have discarded. The truth is we have a serious problem in society. Young lives are being destroyed for lack of an appropriate law to deal with the problem. We have no reason to justify the death of a Bill that seeks to protect infants, children and the aged from barbaric sexual attacks. In this society the strong must provide security for the weak if we have to remain civilized.
Is press freedom under threat in Kenya?
The unprecedented press freedom which has been hailed as an example to the whole of Africa if not the entire world is definitely under threat if the events of the last two months are anything to go by. This time round, it would look like not only are nosy reporters under threat. The very media houses that employ hundreds of journalists along with a couple of thousands of correspondents, newspaper vendors, distributors and advertising agencies are under siege too.
The Kigali Africa Governance Forum brought African leaders closer to their people
Perhaps the biggest resolution to come out of the forum was the reaffirmation that despite sceptics and pessimists disparaging and predicting the failure of the two initiatives to deliver Africa out of its present morass, African governments had committed themselves to the goals and ideals of NEPAD and APRM and there was no going back.
What's next fo Uhuru Kenyatta after ditching ODM?
The charismatic Uhuru Kenyatta is at it again. Once a free bird on Nairobi's entertainment spots, the young Kenyatta now finds himself confronted by the ever unending twists and turns of Kenyan politics. Thanks to Daniel Arap Moi and Mama Ngina Kenyatta who convinced the reluctant emperor that the throne was his for the taking.
Who will tell the world that Burundi is now a peaceful country?
This was the plea of the Burundian Minister for Planning in her closing remarks at the end of a four day UNECA Regional Consultative Conference on trade, food security, regional integration and infrastructure development.
Very soon, Martha Karua and Amos Kimunya will be our heroes!
As ordinary Kenyan workers continued to carry the burden of taxation to pay for this class's luxuries, our masters in the same vein continued to enjoy endless tax holidays. Now Kimunya plans to raise close to Ksh. 1 billion annually from this group. That kind of cash can do wonders for development in rural areas. It is time fat cats shed off some fat for public good.
The aftermath of the Artur brothers
A lot has been said about the Artur brothers since the invasion of the Standard and KTN premises three months ago. Yet, there is one ominous thing that seems to have not come out in the press. I have decided to make this missing point the subject of this article.
Has Kenya specialized in creating scandals and fiascos at the expense of solving them
Is the Justice Department up to the task or are we manufacturing punishable crimes at a faster rate?
Ugandans be warned; The Artur Brothers are on their way to Kampala!
Since their deportation from Kenya after their stage-managed airport debacle, a lot of rumour has been doing the rounds concerning the Artur brothers. One such rumour was that they had accompanied President Kibaki to the Kampala feat which the Nairobi State House has swiftly rubbished as a figment of political imagination.
Where did tiny Gambia get the cash to host the most lavish AU summit?
There is a serious contradiction in the Gambia. Its wealth and vast resources are not visible on its website. Its GDP, population and standard of living all agree that it is one of the poorest countries in Africa and the Third World. Yet, on arriving at the Banjul International Airport, one suddenly meets with astounding surprise and confusion.
The Gambia, the smiling coast that never stops to sweat!
Take your pick, morning, day or night, one thing that the Smiling Coast that is the Gambia will guarantee any visitor, especially from the chilly Eastern Africa is plenty of flowing sweat!
Kenya on the international spotlight
Perhaps one of the biggest tests of democratic practice is for political leaders to be ready to practice competitive politics by selling their ideologies and their leadership beliefs to their electorate, and expect to be voted into office on the basis of the popularity of their ideas and visions.
The Republic of Kenya national opinion poll was quite telling in more ways than one
At last, another pollster released its national results early this week. This was fresh air, coming as it was with the latest soap opera, the Artur saga engulfing the nation one more time in as many months.
President Abdoulaye Wade's constant bashing of NEPAD
President Wade of Senegal has been complaining about NEPAD's ineffectiveness for the last two years. Now, if one has no background information why Wade talks like that at every opportunity about NEPAD, one can make many grave mistakes in a public debate.
Foreign media does not have to report Africa positively. That is the reponsibility of the African Journalist!
And the beat goes on and on as usual and as expected. Every media conference one attends anywhere in Africa, it is the same old song over and over again; that Western media is biased against the continent; that it depicts the continent in the most despicable way possible; what with pictures of misery, ethnic civil wars, famine, violence, poverty and corruption; no one can see any hope for Africa through the lenses of the Western camera.
In all these anti-corruption merry-go-rounds the only losers are the Kenyan Taxpayers
The roots of official corruption in Kenya are deeper than we think. The struggle against official corruption has become a class struggle. The higher you are in the echelons of power whether past or present, the better the chances you have of getting away with corruption- officially in a court of law!
In modern day geopolitical power play, small and powerless nations are on their own
A few years ago, Kenya led the IGAD to find an African solution to an African problem in Somalia and Sudan. She did it with relative success. Although the Somalia peace accord is faltering, there is urgent need for Africa to keep trying. Being on a permanent war mode with one another will never help any of them. The world has become a global village and mutual coexistence is the order of the day.
Salim Amin's A24 TV channel must succeed because there is no other choice
As much as the Americans and the British feel obliged to influence world opinion through their own media, the Arabs, united under Islam and threatened by the invasion of Western culture, military power and the imposition of Western brand of democracy on their soil; they have reason enough to establish on an ideological basis, their equivalent of BBC World and CNN because as Muslims and Arabs, they are at war with the Western Alliance.
John Garang: A Year Later
Most Sudanese I talked to, even expatriates who have lived in Juba for the last year and more seemed to share her view; that the mystery of Garang's death; his behaviour in the last few days before he met his death beg more questions than answers.
Blind and reckless patriotism is dangerous for our country and world peace
Because of patriotism, Americans were ruled by the fear of Communism for half a century from McCarthyism mania of the 1950s up to the end of the 1980s. Because of patriotism, the Klu Klux Clan terrorised Black people in America for centuries. They wanted to keep America White. The same mentality informed the apartheid reign of terror in South Africa for close to a century. Need we forget Adolf Hilter's pure race mentality that made him send all manner of other races to the gallows and and slaughter six million Jews in the Second World War?
Catholic Bishops and President Kibaki's stand on the Constitution is not surprising
Kenyans must be really tired of endless lies, betrayals and hypocrisy from our moral gatekeepers. For how long must we sit and watch the church and state conspire to fool and ridicule our intelligence? What use is it for a leader of the church to conspire against its flock, not once but twice in one year and still expect believers to remain followers of their teachings?
Could the Isinya declaration spell doom for the NARC Kenya bandwagon?
Patriotism and political ambitions are good things. They are the engines on which political wheels turn. As patriotism propels the frontline solders to hit their heads against any oncoming blockade, the might of their enemies not withstanding, their personal ambitions urge them to go on fighting in expectation of the spoils of war, should they claim victory.
Has Kenya become a nation of hecklers?
Why is it that every time there is a new initiative to jumpstart the constitution review, we all stand up and start jumping and kicking in all directions? Have we become a nation that can only thrive in chaos? Where is the guided and tamed intellectualism that should inform such important discussions like the constitution review?
Barack Obama loves Luos but please let him be American and do his work as an American Senator!
As much as the clamour to meet Obama among the Luos was understandable, the desire itself was as misplaced as every Kalenjin demanding to meet President Moi during his presidency on the basis that he was a fellow Kalenjin.
Governance and Ethics: The challenge of many African governments and their institutions
Are governance, ethics and moral rectitude the bane of our problems at the national and continental level? Why has Africa become the killing field of all manner of good initiatives? Why is it that when we start a new initiative like the EAC, NEPAD, IGAD, APRM or the African Development Bank, it gains more currency outside Africa faster than it does at home?
How popular is Daniel Arap Moi in Kenya today?
Daniel Arap Moi is causing problems for the ODM-Kenya because he loves Kanu more. He loves Kanu more because Kanu helped him rule this country with an iron-fist, and plunder the resources of this country to its bones for his personal gain.
The politics of Barack Obama vs Kenyan politics of psychophants and turncoats!
I may be wrong but all those thousands of all Kenyans from all walks of life that thronged Senator Obama's functions in Nairobi, Kisumu and Siaya; could they all have been wrong? Why did he appeal to so many Kenyans? Was there something good that Obama brought to Kenya?
Shirikisho La Africa Ya Mashariki .....
Shirikisho La Africa Ya Mashariki ...Where shall we find great men & women of East Africa to lead us to the promised land?
24 hrs of a Kenyan refugee in Somalia - Finding friends in unlikely quarters!
May be it is high time the international community paid more attention to the aspirations of the Islamic Courts Union and their counterparts in Somaliland up North. These two breakaway groups have restored meaningful security into their areas of control in the former United Republic of Somalia
Why can't the world see the obvious -- That Abdullahi Yusuf cannot manage Somalia?
Any attempts to force Yusuf on Somalis will be a sure catalyst for a bloodbath of unimaginable proportions. Africa certainly does not need another Iraq or Afghanistan on its soil.
What it means for a public officer to receive a protest note from members of the public
The plot thickens for Justice Aaron Ringera, Kenya's Anti-Corruption Chief. Dark clouds and forces of evil have conspired to end his career at Integrity House before his first tenure is over. The Kenyan public is baying for his blood. While they choke under the weight of grand official corruption, Aaron Ringera is smiling all the way to the bank, thanks to their endless taxes that must sustain his opulent life. Yes, Kenyans must continue experimenting with political leadership until cows come ho
Is ODM-KENYA capable of causing an Orange Revolution in Kenya?
If President Kibaki and is keen on running for a second term, he should defect to ODM Kenya today, not tomorrow!
Before we hang the Steadman Pollsters, may be there is something they know that Kenyans don't!
The season of heated political debate is with us again, thanks to the ever controversial Steadman Opinion polls. And one wonders why the very papers that keep on carrying the Steadman results cannot commission more research organizations to carry out the same.
The East African Political Federation: This is the time!
Past experiments with colonial East African Common Services and the post colonial East African Community nurtured more brotherliness than it caused friction amongst us. What destroyed us was petty political ideologies that emanated from outside. These ideologies forced our political leaders to drift apart at our own expense.
Be careful ODM members: You haven't crossed the river yet!
Let me give ODM presidential candidates one unsolicited advice. It is one thing to aspire to be president of Kenya and another ball game to win the elections. It is one thing to clamor to be nominated presidential candidate and quite another to conduct a successful campaign and actually win even if one had tones and tones of cash to do it.
Tanzanians - Brutally honest about their feelings toward the East African Federation
Some Tanzanians claim that the idea of fast-tracking the political federation may itself have negative impact on Tanzanians because it is likely to water down the Community spirit in some parts of East Africa particularly in their country.
Should the East African Federation be fast-tracked or allowed to go stage by stage?
Fast tracking the East African Federation may take two scenarios concurrently. One is to carry on with the three processes of the Customs Union, the Common Market and the Monetary Union concurrently rather than step by step. This way the time to complete the processes may considerably be shortened to bring forward the fourth stage which is the political federation. The other scenario is where all those three stages are running concurrently.
Can the East African Economic Integration be sustained without a central political authority?
What makes big markets like the USA, India, China, Russia and Nigeria work? All these economies enjoy the comfort of a single authority. Power has to emanate from a single source with clear rules and guidelines on how to exercise them. If the centre is working and holding, the rest will work.
Where are our leaders when Kenyans are hacked to death in our slums & villages?
What is happening in Kenya today is not only shameful to our country but painful too. While I condemn the silence of our elected leaders, I get this impression that the Mungiki army has grown in leaps and bounds only compared to the Islamic Courts in Somalia. The kind of arrogance and daring with which they extort cash from residents of Mathare with impunity indicates that they have formed a parallel government to that of President Kibaki complete with their own taxation system.
Nyanza politicians must learn to see beyond self interest
When we elect our Members of Parliament to represent us in the National Assembly, we expect them to have risen in vision beyond clan and village politics. We expect their voices of reason to be heard at the national level on national issues. We expect them to think Kenyan.
The saga of having a new Constitution in Kenya, in an election year
The amazing thing about Kenyans is that they are very poor students of history; even history that is as recent as two or three years. Sometimes our optimism goes beyond natural expectations; making us repeat the most obvious silly mistakes in our life time.
The Beauty and Shame of Kenya's Constituency Development Fund - CDF
Perhaps the beauty of the CDF has been lost in the shameless management structure that the Act put in place at its inception. The Act was ill- conceived when it gave sitting MPs the power and glory to mismanage it. Gory tales coming out of nearly 70% of all constituencies attest to gross mismanagement, theft, fraud and sheer shameless misuse and misappropriation of this public fund.
To: Jo-Kano in the Diaspora
Whether we come from Ayweyo, Kakola, Kabonyo, Kamagaga, Kakmiye, Kamsua, Kanyipola, Kobura, Kochogo, Kimira, Kolwa, Wawidhi, Wang'aya, Watombori, Sidho, Koguta or Olasi, we are the same family. Therefore the welfare of Kano clans back in Nyanza should be our main concern whether we live in Kenya or not.
Interesting comparative CDF figures in Nyando District
Modern communication facilities especially the internet has made it impossible to horde information; at least not to everybody. This is what I learnt from a little known website I came across just the other week. Kanoassociation.com led me to several GK sites that tell how CDF funds have been allocated and spent per province and constituency.
Is the madness of Kenya's political squables spreading into the East African Community
What started as the usual domestic political wrangling among political parties has now taken new and damaging dimensions that will leave all parties bruised and looking silly in the eyes of East Africans. Kenyans have finally imported their most unwanted product in to the region; political wrangling.
Kenya Politics in Turmoil
The year 2006 will go down in Kenya's political history as the year that Kenya killed democracy. It will also be remembered as the year of shame when political thuggery, treachery, deceit and con-manship held sway! For how else can anybody explain the shameful act that embarrassed the whole nation at the East African Community?
Kudos to the East African Community
There are a million reasons why the people of East Africa should celebrate the entry of Rwanda and Burundi into the East African Community. Some of these reasons are definitely economic while others are political and cultural. All of these reasons are pretty important for the economic, social and political survival of the region in an era where mergers in the corporate world and integration among nations are the order of the day.
Kenya: A Classic Case of a Nation Stuck in The Mud!
This week's fresh encounter with the State Police in the era of President Kibaki was a stark reminder that we are not yet out of the woods. Our past sad history of police brutality, state terror and human rights violations have come back to haunt us. If we didn't have these scenes as frequently in the last four years, it was a lull before a storm.
The changing face of the East African Community
Now that the celebrations are over after admitting the latest additions to the East African Community, serious reflections, soul searching and head scratching must follow to make the expanded community work. Along with the benefits of an expanded market and promising social and economic activity, will come serious challenges that must be tackled urgently by the region's present governors and policy makers if the community has to work.
Does the current Kenyan Parliament deserve to exist?
Kenya's 9th Parliament is a spectacle to behold in more ways than one. It is an institution that defies any logical description. Whichever way you want to look at it, it is a baffle and a mystery from every angle. The problem with Kenya's 9th Parliament is the problem with the current Speaker who, for several years under the Moi regime allowed Kanu to flout parliamentary rules without raising a finger. When other political parties followed suit, he realized he had set a precedent ........
Waruinge, Pattni & other criminals are creations of Kenya's dysfunctional judicial system
In the present Kenya, the police can shoot an innocent person, call him the "most wanted criminal," and the matter ends there; no inquest, no investigations; case closed. Only in Kenya can one murder a prominent politician and get away with with it as long as one is on the right side of the political power of the day. Only in Kenya can one loot the treasury dry and then reward himself with the chairmanship of a political party!
Emerging Tribal Arithmetic & Ethnic Voting Pattern: Will it propel ODM to power .....
The ODM line up represents Kikuyus, Luos, Maragolis, Embus, Kambas, Samias, cosmopolitan Coast and Kalenjins. If we stretch our imaginations, we can put Uhuru and Nyagah in the same basket under Gema while we lump together Musalia Mudavadi and Julia Ojiambo under the greater Luhya fraternity. Leaving Balala out for lack of clear tribal identity, we can then assume that the contest for the presidency in the ODM- K will be between Gema, Luos, Luhyas, Kambas and Kalenjins.
Good Old America at her finest when it comes to order and discipline at state funerals
In contrast to the carnival nature of party conventions, American funerals are the most solemn funerals on earth. Somehow in Kenya, funerals attended by politicians become a free-for-all affair and a contest between the clergy, Members of Parliament and local councillors. In such funerals, God help you if you have a local area councilor as the master of ceremonies to guide the programme.
An open letter to Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga
First, congratulations are in order for a job well done to date. Your untiring efforts to woo voters all over the Republic of Kenya is finally bearing fruit. Your overwhelming majority vote at Kasarani a few weeks ago was proof enough that Kenyans of all tribes, regions, races and walks of life had finally begun to appreciate your message. Sweet as the victory was, I think it is in order and timely that I write this open letter to you.
ODM manifesto and Raila have great potential
The best party to bank on is Raila Odinga’s ODM. I want Raila to win because even though he is originally from Nyanza, his roots are in Nairobi where he has been elected three times in Lang’ata constituency. All other presidential candidates do not understand the complex nature of urban politics. Having represented Lang’ata, I believe Kenyan communities trust him.
Kenya on The Brink of Turmoil
The plot to rig elections started almost two years ago when Kibaki's government lost the referendum in November 2007. It was elaborately planned to take place at every stage of the process. The only mistake the regime made was to have had loose tongues in its midst that let the cat out of the bag. Again, it also included known criminals in its midst to stop one candidate in his tracks. That candidate was Raila Odinga who posed the greatest challenge to the Kibaki.
Real peace and healing must be founded on truth and justice
Kenya is a land full of hypocrites, liars and opportunists. We love to exploit even some of the most bizarre situations. We never stop to seize any opportunity to make an extra coin from the donor community or add extra media visibility to our moribund humanitarian organizations. An unjust society where we thrive on lies and hypocrisy has landed us in unprecedented turmoil.
We are in this hole together, for better or for worse!
We Kenyans are in deep shit and the shit has hit the fan. We are choking with stench and sooner rather than later, we will not hold our breath any longer. The stage is set for real drama, the theatre of war like we have never known since the Mau Mau war.
Kenya's presidential elections have set new standards for Africa
With the stakes pretty high, the three main contenders are leaving nothing to chance. Though still in the race and looking pretty determined to go to the finishing line, all indications are that this is a two horse race with Kalonzo Musyoka coming a distant third when all the votes are counted.
If I Were Raila Odinga.....
If I were Raila Odinga, I would have second thoughts about the political situation in Kenya. I would rethink being the president of this country at this point in time. Hard as it may be, I would ask myself whether it is really worth the trouble to continue contesting the presidency.
Basics Kofi Annan should consider in finding the solution to Kenya's political crisis
Our present crisis is embedded in the quagmire that is our political system. We are groping in the dark with a system that cannot work in a modern state unless we want to return to a feudal era.
Kenya - At what point is the president expected to use his executive powers?
As things stand, the Annan team is becoming irrelevant by the day. It is getting sucked into the orgy of violence at the expense of its original mission. The people we need to come out now and address joint rallies for the sake of Kenya are Kibaki and Raila in Central Province, Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza. They must sort out the mess and spare Kenyans senseless deaths.
Can we learn from Barack Obama on how to run a clean campaign?
Can we learn the art of clean politics from Barack Obama, a man who resonates well with us this side of the Atlantic since he still has his roots here? Can we try and do better than the last Kenyan and Nigerian elections by for once having free, fair and most importantly unrigged elections? Can Ghana, Somaliland, South Africa and Sudan show us the way in 2009?
Mugabe is an embarrassment to AU and UN
This despot must be removed by force if necessary to stop him from further annihilating his country, his record as a freedom fighter notwithstanding. Zimbabweans did not fight for freedom only to be massacred by one of their own! Because of the shame of what is going in Zimbabwe, the AU and the UN stand condemned in the court of world public opinion.
Stephanie McCrummen and The Washington Post Must Avoid Reporting Falsehoods on Kenyan Politics
This article corrects the falsehoods that the Western Press is fond of visiting on Kenya and Africa in general. There is more to Kenya's problems than the gossips and rumors in Nairobi's pubs.
Ordinary East Africans Must Safeguard The Gains of The East African Community
If this Migingo thing is not sorted out fast and amicably, East Africa will witness the worst humanitarian catastrophe never witnessed before in the last 40 years, because, unlike in the past when Kenya was the last refuge for fleeing victims of war in the region; it will this time be consumed by the same civil strife. If this happens, business will completely grind to a halt in Kenya right from the port of Mombasa and spread all the way to Kinshasa, Mwanza, Bujumbura, ...
APRM South African Secretariat in Turmoil
The CEO's absence has enabled Adedeji, the current Panel Chairman to usurp the operations of the APRM Secretariat in South Africa to the extent that he is able to run the affairs of the institution from his village in Nigeria.
Kenya's image is messed here at home not in American capitals
The only price the Kenya Government will pay in order for President Obama to agree to work for Kenya is for the coalition government to get its act together, tackle graft and implement the Kofi Annan recommended reforms. Yes, all that Kibaki and Raila need to do is to prosecute Golden Berg, Anglo Leasing, Triton, Grand Regency, KTD, Maize and Treasury scoundrels and everything will be on course.
APRM South African Secretariat in Turmoil: A Special Report
Exactly a month ago, I wrote an article on the APRM warning of the dangers that some members of the Panel of Eminent Persons and even Heads of State had exposed it to. At that time, I warned that Africa had reason to worry that the once much talked about APRM was fast losing its glamour. Its architects were busy mutilating it.
Obama and Kenya: Are Our Leaders Living in Fools' Paradise?
Barack Obama knows how to exert pain where it hurts most. The American President is livid with Kenyan political leadership. This is in spite of the fact that his late father worked with President Kibaki at the Treasury in the 1960s and '70s. Never mind that he is a distant relative of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Kenya in need a powerful 'Propaganda Machine' to fight tattered image
Propaganda as a tool has been used over the years in the last century whenever a country is in a state of war or is undergoing credibility crisis as we do now.
The Ksh 10 billion error that never goes away: Uhuru is no crook; he just doesn't get it
Uhuru Kenyatta must be a very unlucky politician. He came into politics at a very bad time when Kenya's freedom of speech and scrutiny of public affairs had been entrenched. If that were not so, he would be president of Kenya today, not scratching his head over small little numbers at the Treasury that are never the work of respectable heads of state
Of the American Ambassador, our politics and Kenya's bloated cabinet
The beauty of a working democracy saw Indian Prime Minister name a cabinet of 19 ministers from outside parliament; one cabinet post per 100 million people! Here in Kenya, for a mere 35 million people with an economy that grows at 1.7% we load ourselves with a cabinet of 90 politicians that cannot even prepare a supplementary budget let alone scrutinize it!
Is Kenya Sailing in Troubled Waters With The Obama administration?
Recent reports that Obama was not happy with the slow pace of reforms and his subsequent snub of Kenya have not gone down well with the Kibaki administration, least of all with many ordinary Kenyans who have a soft spot for the American President. The fact that Obama has decided to make Ghana and Egypt his first destinations of choice has fundamentally embarrassed Kenya in more ways than one. And as if to add insult to injury, Obama's sudden invitation of Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania to ......
Africa's regional economic blocks, just like the AU, are in love with our dictators
The just ended Comesa Summit in Harare was once again an eye opener. It displayed to the world once again that democracy talks that we normally hear of from the lips of our heads of state are just that; lip service. Most African leaders hate democracy in all its forms, including those who came to power through the barrel of the gun claiming then to be fighting for justice decades gone by.
Democracy gets further beating in Africa as human rights abuses flourish
If the African Group continues to advocate for human rights abuses at the world's highest forum, it will send a sad message that these atrocities that we witness on our borders will never end for many years to come especially if now we know that the AU will never punish one of its own for the atrocities committed on this continent.
Let us not rush to judge fundamental flaws in Uhuru's budget
As Uhuru took away fuel guzzlers from ministers, permanent secretaries and other constitutional office holders to save rare cash from a non performing economy, it looked like he was out to punish the few privileged honorable members. Yet, as this luxurious status symbol was being removed, he made sure that every constituency had its share of more than any MP would have bargained for. Further more; he refrained from venturing into Amos Kimunya's landmine- taxation for the honorable members of our society.
Uhuru Kenyatta has scored highly with his political budget
Give it to him; Uhuru Kenyatta had his moment of glory in Parliament. He presented a unique budget that was as different as no other since independence. More importantly, he confounded both foe and friend with the kind of budget that caught many speculators with their pants down. To tell you how effective Uhuru was in Parliament, there were very few snoring honorable waheshimiwas in the august house; if any he gave Speaker Kenneth Marende a hectic time trying to minimize ....
Africa; let us listen to Zuma on good governance in this continent
Last week I was equally miffed by the so called African envoys at the United Nations Human Rights Council that purported to have spoken on behalf of the continent regarding Prof Alston's Report on Kenya.
What is it that excites Mutula Kilonzo?
A verse in the book of Proverbs says that "When the righteous are in authority, people rejoice. However, when the wicked are on the throne, people mourn."
This verse came to my mind when I watched President Jacob Zuma on television show the other day. The dancing South African president was as impressive as he could be. His happy-go-gigging public perception was in the back banners. He was talking tough to the continent about the ills that have consumed our region for decades.
East Africa will get it right if governments implement this year's national budgets
It was gratifying that for the first time in the history of this region, four partner states out of five harmonized their budget days and presented them concurrently in their respective parliaments.
As political opportunists are busy eroding Annan's credibility, ordinary Kenyans are baffled by his indecisiveness
The behavior of Kofi Annan is typical of international diplomats. They are normally slow to decide on issues. They are known for weighing issues over and over with accompanied loss of sleep worrying over the consequences of their actions. Yes, diplomats listen too much and practice too much restraint as Jacob Zuma would be inclined to say.
Of the us envoy, youth revolution and young turks in Kenya's 10th parliament
The silence is deafening. The guns have gone silent. The American Ambassador to Kenya seems to have either run out of steam, funds for the youth revolution or both. Or may be the State Department has asked him to slow down on Kenyan politics. May be he has been told to do what diplomats are supposed to do in the first place; use quiet diplomacy to achieve better results.

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